Proof boxes are cabinets which provide an environment with a controlled temperature and humidity for the raising of dough. Water is boiled to provide the humid atmosphere which keeps the exterior surface of the dough pliable and prevent formation of a crust on the product.
Problems arise because the water utilized in maintaining the humid environment usually contains calcium and magnesium ions and other impurities. The impurities create several problems, the greatest of which is the precipitation of these ions as carbonate: scale. The impurities can be carried to the product with the generated steam. The impurities also tend to collect on the blower used to circulate the humid air in the proof boxes, the cabinet walls and the environmental controls, causing them to corrode and malfunction. Further, because a large percentage of the impurities tend to remain in the steam generation device as water is boiled off, a high level of impurities develops in the heated water quickly.
Some of the adverse consequences can be reduced by periodic cleaning of the humidity generation equipment in the proofing cabinets. The cleaning of the humidity generation equipment would normally be done after the cabinet is no longer being used for proofing. These cleaning tasks are tedious and there is a natural reluctance by the bakers to perform these tasks, especially since they must occur outside of the baking day because cleaning interferes with the use of the cabinet.
Due to increasingly poor water conditions in this country, the level of impurities found in the water used in proofing cabinets is increasing. This increase further emphasizes the need for a humidifier system which will minimize or avoid the adverse effects of the presence of the impurities.